Machine for hardening felt



A119289 1951 H. c. FELTHMv 2,566,286

MACHINE FOR HARDENING FELT u Filed April 24, 194'?v z-sheets-.sheet 1 I N VEN TDR.

(j Arme/vnf Aug; 28, 1951 H C, FELTHAM .2.566386 MACHINE FOR lHARDENING` FELT med April 24, 1947 v 2 sneerssneex 2 Elg-2 IN VEN TOR.

Patented 'ug. 28, 1951 Litt-i286 UNITED shirtsy PATENT ortica,

maar; Y iviAHiN'E ron iiAnD'ING FEii f Harry C; Feltharn, Amesbury; Massa, assigner td Merrimac Hat Corporation, Amsbury, Massa a corporation of Massachusetts p Application April 24, 1947, Serial N0.743,69g

(c1. zzzi 7 Claims.

The present invention relatesto machines for hardening felt, particularly -hollow felt bodies such as hat bodies, and is more particularly concerned with automatic or semi-automatic machines of this character in which the felt body is supported on an internal hardening member which is indexed periodically to advance successive portions of the body to a hardening station.

In the manufacture of felt bodies, such as wool felt hat bodies, the bodies are usually initially formed by winding a carded fiber web upon a hollow form. This produces a soft, fluffy, loosely felted, fragile, hollow body or bat. In the case of hat bodies, thisbat is of a roughly conical shape with a closed, rounded tip.

The fragile bat is next subjected to a hardening operation in which the felting of the fibers is greatly increased by a condensation of the thickness of the walls of the bat and the bat is thereby toughened suiiiciently to undergo the further shrinking and felting, shaping and other operations required to produce the completed felt body.

Heretofore this hardening `operation has usually been performed with the felt body'in a collapsed or flattened state on machines wherein the flattened bodies are placed between oscillating hardening plates in the presence of steam. With such a machine it is necessary for theoperator repeatedly to remove the bodies from the machine and smooth, refold and reinsert them in order to avoid creasing, a tedious and time consuming task requiring constant attendance of an operator. The hardening produced is not uniform, particularly at the tip which usually must be separately hardened in a different machine.

The general object of this invention is to provide a machine for hardening hollow felt bodies while supported in their natural shape, which is fully automatic in the sense that no hand manipulation of the body during the hardening operation is necessary and which produces a better more uniform hardening than prior machines.

In furtherance of this object, the invention provides a hardening machine characterized by an internalhardening member, which supports the body during the hardening treatment, and an external hardening member, or members, movable to and away from a hardening position in which they are in engagement with the felt body. The external hardening members are voscillated while in engagement with the body to effect the hardening treatment. The external hardening members are periodically moved away from engagement with the body and the inter# nal hardeningmember is then indexed to advance a fresh portion of the body into position for treatment.

Although the machine as so far described is superior to the flat hardening machines in that removal of the body from the machine and rev applying it during the hardening cycle Vis un' necessary and simultaneous uniform hardening of the tip and side portions may be produced, nevertheless it is not fully automatic in its op= eration since considerable time, as well as skill and judgment, is'required on the part of the operator in smoothing out the hat body by hand and adjusting it on the internal hardening mem# ber to avoid the formation of wrinkles and irreg= ularities during the hardening treatment. The full time of one operator is ordinarily required to take care of one machine.

I have discovered thatby suitably directing a stream -of air between the hat body and the supporting member of the machine, the felt is automatically caused to assume its natural drape and shape during the hardening treatment, folds and creases which may start to form` in the felt `are eliminated without attention from the operator, and the felt is freed from the hardening members and is stretched to a uniform thickness, without attention from the operator. The machine is thereby rendered ,fully automatic in operation as the necessityrfor hand manipulation of the hat body is eliminated and, in addition, a smoother, more uniform hardening is produced. i

In the preferred form of the machine as hereinafter illustrated, a nozzle for introducing an air stream between the hat body and its support is positioned ina zone to which each successively hardened Vsegment of the body is moved immediately after it is hardened. The air stream, which operates while the hardening members are out of mutual engagement with the felt, effectively loosens the hardened segment from the support to which it tends to adhere due to the hardening pressure, andy acts to drape and smooth the entire body as above described.

In the drawings, which illustrate a preferred embodiment of the invention as adapted to ahat body hardening machine,

Fig. 1 is a side elevation;

Fig. 2 is a plan View, partly in section;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentaryelevation of the internal hardening member with the felt body shown in section, showing `the relation thereto of the air l stream nozzle; and,

l Fig. 4 is a diagram illustrating the hardening of a` complete hat body by successive hardening operations on different sections thereof.

Referring to Fig. I, the machine comprises a generally flat base or bed'l on which are supported the several mechanisms for performing the hardening operation. In general terms, these mechanisms include internal hardening mechanism, indicated generally at A, on which the hat body B is supported during hardening, side hardening mechanism C, tip hardening mechanism D, and an air stream nozzle I2. K

The internal hardening mechanism comprises the generally cone-shaped hollow internal hardening member I4 having a rounded tip and conforming in the shape of its outer surface to the natural inner shape of the hat body B, which is seated and supported on the member during the hardening operation, as shown. Internal hardening member I4 is provided with a roughened exterior surface which may be formed of fiber or wire cloth fastened on a support but is preferably formed of articial abrasive stone, such as Carborundurn, composed of abrasive grits and a Ybinder which is readily molded to the required shape.

The rinternal hardening member I4 is supported on a vertical stub shaft I6 which is mounted for rotation in upper and lower bearings carried by a frame I3 centrally supported on the bed I0.

The hardening member I4 is kept heated during the hardening operation by means of a uid heating medium which is admitted to the hollow interior of the member through an axial bore in stub shaft I6. Where steam is employed as the heating medium, it has been found preferable to make the hardening member I4 impervious thereto so that the steam does not leak outwardly into the felt body. If the support is formed of a :.s

steam pervious artificial stone or other-material it may be provided on its interior surface with an vimpervious lining 20 of metal or other heat conducting material.

Water condensed from the steam may be drained through a bore 22 in the stub shaft Ii and collected by any appropriate means (not shown).

The rotary mounting for the internal hardening member permits its rotation about the aXis of stub shaft I6. During the operating cycle the stub shaft I6 is intermittently turned through a fraction of a rotation to present fresh surfaces of the body to the side and tip hardening mechanisms.

This indexing rotation of the stub shaft I6 is eiected by rotation of a ratchet wheel 24, fixed to the stub shaft I6 intermediate its bearings. The ratchet wheel 24 is periodically turned through a fraction of a rotation by means of a pawl (not shown) carried on a guard member 26 which isV mounted for oscillation about the axis of the stub `shaft I5. The mechanism for `eiecting indexing movement of the internal hardening member I4, and the construction of the side and top hardening mechanism to be described later, has not been shown and will not be described in detail inasmuch as the details of construction of these mechanisms are not a part of the present invention, In general, this indexing movement may be effected by a hand lever or foot pedal under the control of the operator or maybe performed automatically in timed relation with the operations of the other mechanisms, under the control of anautomatic control system.

The side hardening mechanism shown generally at C in Fig. 1 operates to apply hardening action to successive portions of the side of a hat body positioned on the internal hardening member I4 during successive dwells of the internal hardening member. The entire side hardening mechanism is mounted on a slide 28, which is movable toward and away from the Yinternal hardening mechanism in ways provided on `thel top of the base I0. The side hardening mechanism includes a hardener member 363 provided with a curvedfelt-engaging surface of a material suitable for hardening felt, which may be any of the materials mentioned above as being suitable for the exterior surface of the internal hardener member I4. The felt-engaging surface is preferably provided by a molded slab of bonded abrasive granules which is porous so that steam admitted to a chamber 32 within the hardener member through a nexible steam connection 34 may pass therethrough into the felt during the hardening treatment.

The hardener member 30 is resiliently suspended from a supportarm 36 by means of rods 33 which slide in pivoted blocks 49. The support arm 35 is pivoted on shafts 42 carried in upstanding brackets 44 cn slide 28. During the hardening phase of the operating cycle, the hardening member 3@ is rapidly oscillated by an eccentric and eccentric strap 46 pivoted to its lower end at 48.

I The support arm 3S may be raised and lowered about the axisv of shafts 42 to move the hardening member 30 into and out of its hardening position of engagement with the outside surface of the felt body B. Such raising and lowering movement may be performed by a uid pressure piston and cylinder 50, the cylinder of which is anchored to the slide 28 at 52 and the piston of which is connected through a piston rod 54 to an arm 55 of a bell crankwhose other arm 58 is connected to the support arm 35 by an adjustable link Gil. The arm 3B will be moved to its raised ppsition during indexing movement of the internal hardening member Ie to move the side hardening mechanisms out of contact with the felt.

The tip hardening mechanism, shown generally at D in Fig. 1, is supported on a frame member 62 mounted in ways on thev top of the base IIl at the side opposite the side hardening mechanism C. This tip hardeningY mechanism comprises a tip hardening member 64 generally similar to the member 30 and having its lower surface ap- Dropriately curved to exert hardening action on the rounded tip of the felt body Steam is admitted to a chamber within the member 64 through a flexible steam connection G5, from which chamber it may pass through the porous hardening surface into the felt. rI'he hardening member 64 is carried on an arm 58 which is pivoted on shaft 'I0 for movement toward and away from the felt body.

The weight of the hardening member and its associated structure is carried in part by the spring 'l2 surrounding a rod 'If-i which is pivotally connected to the arm '68 at 15. The lower end of the spring bears on a xed abutment I8 on the frame 62 and the upper end engages a collar 8D xed to the rod 14. Downward movement of the hardening member 64 under its own weight against the action of the spring l2 is limited by an adjustable stop 32 which strikes the upper end of a bracket 84 rising from the frame 62.

Oscillating movement is imparted to the member 64 by an eccentric and eccentric strap 86. The eccentric is driven from a motor 8 by belt 90 and the eccentric strap 8f3 is connected to the member 64 by a link 92. Y

The armq is raised and lowered about the axis of shaft I9 by means of a hydraulic cylinder and piston 94 anchored at S5 to the frame 52 and actuating, through its piston rod Silan arm IIl of a bell crank Whose other arm |32 is conll-ected to the arm 58 through an adjustable link `30" to the surface of the cone.

that only a slight air pressure is required to ac- 5. |03. The arm68 is lifted to raise the hardening member 64 out of engagement with the felt in `timed relation with the corresponding moven B. The nozzle I2 is located at a point along the periphery of hardening member Ill at which no side hardening mechanism is present.' The stream of air from the nozzle I2 flows between the outer surface of the member I4 and the felt body so as to free the felt from the hardening member and stretch it out to its natural shape. Any creases or 'wrinkles which may have started to form in the felt are thereby eliminated.

The nozzle I2 may, for example, be formed from copper tubingr with its discharge end flattened and may be located about 1/4 from the surface of the member lli and about 1/2 to 1" below the bottom of the hat body and so adjusted that the air stream is directed at an angle of I have found complish the stated results. Pressures in the range of a few ounces to 2 pounds per square inch have been found satisfactory with the arrangement described. l

The `operation of the machine willlbe generally apparent from the foregoing description of its construction. A hat body B to be hardened is placed by the operator on the internal hardening member I4 as shown. The side hardening member 30 and the tip hardening member B4 are then lowered by suitable mechanism under the control of the operator, or by an automaticcontrol system into their hardening positions in which they are in contact with the felt body. When so positioned, the hardening members are rapidly oscillated to effect hardening treatment of the felt. Periodically, and at the proper intervals to provide the hardening treatment desired, the hardening members 30 and Gfi are raised out of engagement with the felt. The internal hardenf ing member I4 is then given an indexing movement of a fraction of a rotation to advance fresh sections of felt to position beneath the external hardening members i. e., to the hardening stations.

The relationship of the successive hardening treatments performed by the tip and the vside hardening members respectively and the cycle in which they are performed as well as the relationship of the air stream to the other operations of a the complete hardening cycle is illustrated diagrammatically in Fig. 4. The felt body as it appears when projected onto a plane is indicated by the circle |05, The area of contact between the side hardening member 3i) and the felt; which represents the area of the felt which is hardened in a single step, between successive indexing movements of the internal member, is indicated by the shaded area IBB. Correspondingly, the area treated by the tip hardening member at each step is indicated at I I 0. When the hardening action is completed on the areas I and Iill, the hat body IE5 is rotated, by the indexing movement of member I4, to advance the felt |08 beyond the hardening station to the position II2. The

portion I It] is moved simultaneously into the position IM.' `Successive indexing movements of member Ill-thus move successive segments of the hat body into hardening position at the hardening station, as shown in Fig. 4 until 4the hardening of the entire hat body is completed.

The nozzle I2 is so located as to operate `upon the portion of the side of the hat body which has just left the hardening station, that is. the portion of theY felt which is located at the position II2. In the embodiment shown the angular eX tent of the areas of contact IDB and I I0 between the hardening members and the felt is such that a total of seven steps of the internal hardening member vIII is Vrequired tolcomplete the hardening of the entire hat body.

The foregoing detailed disclosure of a particular embodiment of my invention is made by Way of illustration and notof limitation and it will be appreciated that changes therein may be made by one skilled in the art without departure from my invention as expressed in the following claims. Thus, the nozzle may be located at other positions around the periphery of the internal hardening member than that shown and a plurality of nozzles may be employed if desired. It will be appreciated also that the air stream feature of my invention is applicable generally to felt hardening machines wherein the felt is treated by opposed oscillating hardening membersV which are moved with respect to each other to advance the treated portion of the felt out `of its position between the members, and that such machines may diier in the arrangement of the LII hardening mechanisms and the means for `operating them from the machine selected for purposes of illustration.` l

I claim: 'l l l 1. A machine for hardening a wall of a hollow `felt body which includes an internal hardening member adapted to iit within and support a hollow felt body, a cooperating external hardening member located adjacent said internal hardening member outside the wall of a felt body positioned thereon, means for relatively oscillating said hardening members to effect hardening treatment of a felt body wall portion engaged between them, and a nozzle positioned to direct a stream of air between said internal hardening member andthe felt body supported thereon to free said portion from and lift it off of the surface of the internal hardening member and smooth and drape said body on sid internal hardening member. i

2. A machine for hardening felt which includes opposed hardening members disposed en opposite sides of a portion of the felt for mutual engagement with the opposite surfaces of said. portion, means `for relatively oscillating said members while in such mutual engagement to effect hardening treatment of said felt portion `between them, means for relatively moving one ofsaid hardening members and the felt with respect to the other hardening member to carry said felt away from its position between said members and a nozzle positioned adjacent said Aone of said hardening members for directing a stream of air between said member and the felt after they have been so moved to free the felt from, and smooth and drape said body on, said one of 'said members.

3. A machine for hardening a wall of a hollow felt body which includes an internal hardening member adapted to fit within said felt body, an external hardening member mounted for engagement with a portion of the outside surface of a. felt body positioned about said internal hardening member, means for relatively moving said hardening members into and out of a hardening position of mutual engagement with the opposing surfaces of the portion of the felt body wall between said members, means for relatively oscillating said hardening members while in said hardening position to effect hardening treatment of said felt body wall portion engaged between them, said felt body and one of said hardening members being relatively movable at a time when said hardening members are out .of said hardening position to advance-a `treated Vportion of said wall from its position -between said hardening members, and means for Vintroducing a stream of air between one-of said hardening members and a treated portionof the felt which has been so advanced to freethe felt ,from said Vlast mentioned one ,of said `hardening members.

4. A machine for hardening felt which includes opposed hardening members relatively movableto and Aaway from ya hardening position of mutual engagement `with the opposite surfaces of a portion of the felt, means for relatively oscillating said members while in said hardening position to eiect hardening treatment of said felt portionv between them, said hardening members being relatively movable to and away from said hardening position, the felt and one of said hardening members being relatively movable with respect to the other during intervalswhen said members are relatively moved away from said hardening position, to advance said treated portion of felt beyond its position between said members and to present a fresh area of the felt between said members for hardening treatment, and means for introducing a stream of air between the other of said hardening members and said'treated portion of felt, to free the felt from t `the other of said hardening members.

5. A machine for vhardening awall of a hollow felt body which includes a rotatable internal hardening member adapted to nt within and support said felt body, an external hardening member mounted adjacent said internal hardening member at a hardening station for engagement with the outside surface of a portion of a felt body ,supported on said internal hardening member, means for relatively moving said hardening members into and out of a hardening position of mutual engagement with `the opposing sur- Y faces of theportion of the Vfelt body wall positioned at said hardening station, means for rela. tively oscillating said hardening members while in said hardening position to effect hardening treatment of the portion of said felt body wall Ypositioned at the hardening station, means for rotating said internal hardening kmember to adyance fresh portions of said body wall to position between said hardening members 'at said hardening station and to advance .treated portionsY of said body wall beyond said hardening station, and means for introducing` a stream of air between said internal hardening .member and a portion of the body wall which has .been advanced beyond the harden-.ing station, to free the treated portion of the body wall from the internal hardening member.

6.' A machine for hardening Va wall of a hollow felt body which includes a rotatable internal y-hardening treatment of the portion of saidfelt body wall positioned at the hardening station, means for rotating said internal hardening member when said external hardening member is out oi" its hardening position to advance fresh portions of said body lwall to position :between said `hardening members at said hardening station and to advance treated portions of said body VYwall beyond said hardening station, and means for introducing a stream of air between said internal hardening member and a portion of the felt body wallwhich has been advanced beyond the hardening station, to free a treated portion of the body wall Vfrom the internal hardening member. Y

7. A machine for hardening a wall of a hollow felt body which includes a rotatable internal hardening member adapted to t within and support said felt body, an external hardening member mounted adjacent said internal hardening member at a hardening station for movementV into and out of a hardening position of engagement with the outside surface of a portion'of a felt body wall supported on said internal hardening member, means for moving said external hardening member out of its hardening position, means for relatively oscillating said hardening members While said external hardening member is vin its hardening position to effect hardening treatment of the portion of said felt body wall positioned at theV hardening station, means for rotating said internal hardening member in a Vstep-by-step manner when said external hardening member is out of its hardening position to advance a fresh portion of said body Wall to position between said hardening members at a hardening station and to advance a treated portion of said body wall to a station beyond said hardening station, and a nozzle for introducing a stream of air between said internal hardening member and the portion of the felt body wall which has been advanced to said station'beyond the hardening station, to free said portion of the felt body wall from the internal hardening member.

HARRY C. FELTHAM.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in Vthe `file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

